


this bit of love

by annavalentina



Category: Heart no Kuni no Alice | Alice in the Country of Hearts
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:35:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29945952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annavalentina/pseuds/annavalentina
Summary: [ARCHIVE] A cat will be a cat and cats are always incorrigible. Boris, Alice, and a late night visit.
Relationships: Alice Liddell & Boris Airay





	this bit of love

**Author's Note:**

> could have a little subtext if you wanted, but is a writing exercise exploring a moment of friendship either way :)

_It's only Boris._

Was it fair to be so relieved?

When she'd heard the tap on her door, she'd imagined anyone behind it - Peter White, Ace, even someone from the Hatter's mansion, as staggeringly unlikely as that would be. She hadn't dared imagine someone she wanted to see - Julius was out, Boris didn't often visit her here, and, well, at the moment that pretty much tapped out her list.

She slid open the door to peek out at him. "Boris?"

He smiled hopefully at her. "Alice! Can I come in?"

She let it swing open and he slipped inside, moving restlessly into the center of her room. She slid the door shut behind him and went to perch on her bed, tugging her nightgown over her chilled toes. "What are you doing here?" She asked, propping her chin on her knees and watching his excited movements.

"I - " He faltered, ears flattening. She took this to mean that whatever he'd been excited about, he was only now realizing she wouldn't like it.

"Were you sneaking into the gardens again?" she asked, frowning.

"I was very careful," he said guiltily, the way he always did. Alice knew she shouldn't, but she had to bite back a giggle at the despondent curl to his tail and the tightness of his ears. She patted the bed beside her and he crept forward.

"One day careful won't be enough," she said reproachfully. "After all, wasn't it you who said that you didn't mean to get caught that first time I saw you?"

"You pulled my tail," he recalled, the aforementioned appendage tucking against his side.

This time, she pulled on his ear. He yelped. "I just don't want you to get yourself killed!" She said, exasperated. A quick pinch to his arm made him jump.

"Alice is mean," he said, but he rubbed his shoulder against hers apologetically, tail flicking around her waist to tickle her wrist. "I'm very careful."

She sighed. "Aren't all the rides exciting enough for you?"

Boris pulled his knees up. "Actually...Gowland has a new ride."

Alice thought about this. Then shuddered.

"I'll never forget waking up in the nurse's office," she said faintly. "Does he make you go on safety checks all the time?"

"Only when he can catch me," Boris said happily.

They shivered together.

"Did you come here to brag, or to stay away from Gowland?" Alice asked, wiggling her toes beneath the veil of her nightie.

Boris considered. "Both?"

Alice sighed. "I was sleeping," she pointed out.

His face brightened. "Could I - "

"No," she said sternly.

He pouted.

It was a very cute pout. Alice tugged at the sheets under him until he shifted, slipping beneath the covers. "You won't change my mind," she told him. Out came the puppy-dog eyes. Or was that really applicable...? He practically looked like a lost kitten, ready to mew and bat its lashes.

Alice sighed. "Fine," she said grumpily. "But on top of the covers." She scooted over so he could share the pillow. The room wasn't that cold, anyway; he'd be okay.

His face brightened like she'd told him it was Christmas morning come early. The thought struck her as odd, even slipping easily back under the subtle cover of sleep as she was. "Boris...?" she asked, broken in the middle by a wide, sustained yawn.

"Mmm?" He snuggled closer, warm and solid, his tail draping over her hip and twitching.

"Do you have Christmas here?"

But she fell asleep again before she could hear his answer.


End file.
